How do you use your electronics?

[TightlineT]

I have had a conversation with a couple of very good fishermen about how they use their electronics -especially for ledge and deeper water fishing. One says he won't even think about fishing a deep spot if he don't see fish. The other said he uses the electronics to find a good looking location (stumps, shell beds,etc) and fishes the spot. I've idled for what seems to be miles and found some good looking stuff, just no fish on the screen. What's your approach? emoScratch

 

[Lx545]

Lately on deep stuff if I don't see fish on the graph I am not catching fish.

 

[31airborne]

I use my sonars for both - finding fish (this includes bait) and locating places that are likely to hold fish (spots). If I go over something that looks good (brush/rock pile, ledge, log, etc) I'll mark it (as a waypoint) for future reference. If it's holding fish I'll stop and work it. If not, I keep moving until I find them.

 

[churly]

if I dont see fish, I usually dont stop.

 

[FishingwithRusty]

10 minutes with your sonar can save you an hour of casting. if you dont see fish, dont stop! 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water so you have to eliminate a lot of water to find the good, just keep looking. in the first year that i was here i literally idled from the dam to hwy60 bridge, both sides of the river channel, the back channels, all the creek channels and the hiwasse to the 75 bridge and im still going back over stuff and finding stuff i missed the first 3 times. the other thing is fish move, there may be a school on this shell bed today but they get up chasing bait and relocate 100yds or a 1/2mile down a ledge to another shell bed. this why we have horse power and big fuel tanks keep moving

 

[silvertalon]

Look for the largest concentrations of bait and go from there. Also, lots of times if the bass are not feeding, they'll be hunkered down in the vegetation or right in the bait schools and you won't spot them anyway. But I'm usually optimistic when I find the baitfish. Especially on wind blown banks and structure. IMO

 

[Carl]

If im not seeing something like this, I am moving.....

https://youtu.be/RdGJHr7Vdxc

 

[FirstLight]

Carl - 6/10/2019 12:28 PM

If im not seeing something like this, I am moving.....

https://youtu.be/RdGJHr7Vdxc

that's awesome. is that your unit?

 

[bronzeback45]

That's his garmin Peter, he has been telling me about this for months, so he recorded this for our pleasure. He has almost got me convinced to switch from Lowrance, or just add a Garmin to my boat, as he has done.

 

[bronzeback45]

Also, lithium Battery which is a whole different subject.

 

[FirstLight]

bronzeback45 - 6/11/2019 4:36 AM

That's his garmin Peter, he has been telling me about this for months, so he recorded this for our pleasure. He has almost got me convinced to switch from Lowrance, or just add a Garmin to my boat, as he has done.

No doubt!

 

[TightlineT]

That Garmin looks amazing!

 

[jb366]

For deep stuff, I used to not make a cast until I saw catchable fish on the graph. The past couple of years ive changed my approach. If I scan fish in less than 15-20' of water, even if they're active and feeding, I won't fish them for an hour or so. I've found that with the increased pressure over the last couple of years schools shut down when a boat idles over them.
Sure I can scan them, swing around into position, and catch a few. But if I scan, mark, leave, and return without driving over them I boat a bunch more.